Cinnamon Rolls

Lately, there's been certain things on my mind that have been frustrating and slightly irritating (for being frustrating). Often, when things like this come up, I like to amuse myself with other distractions that usually prove therapeutic and stress-relieving.

One of these past times has always been baking. I'm really not big on sweets, and the only baked good I will go completely nuts over is bread (which I am desperately trying to tone down now in an effort to be healthier), so I usually don't have many excuses to bake. But this time, I really really wanted to...I just needed a reason to do it and an idea on WHAT to make...

I'm not sure what exactly inspired me to make cinnamon rolls, but I do remember it was a very long and convoluted thought process that I won't go into. As for who I would make these sinfully delicious rolls for...well there was always our Church family group every Wednesday, and I know from experience that that bunch will literally eat anything loaded with sugar and fat.

Overall, judging by people's responses (and the smells wafting out of the kitchen for hours afterward), I think the cinnamon rolls were a success. The only problem is that the first batch came out a little burnt on the bottom because I underestimated how quickly they would bake. Oh, and I guess I could have added a little more glaze if I really wanted to get them right...

In other news, my dad has hinted that he may POSSIBLY MAYBE HOPEFULLY buy me a DSLR????? (OMG!!!!! I WOULD BE FOREVER INDEBTED), so I need to start thinking of the type/model I would want IF such a wondrous event should occur...

I wonder which is better for food photography? Nikon or Canon?? I guess most of it depends on the lens, rather than the actual camera. Here I'm using my house-mate's camera, which is a Canon and has a great lens for close-up shots. The pictures come out super crisp, which is absolutely amazing. Having used a point-and-shoot for more than a year, I'm not used to being spoiled with such rewarding shots. I mean, look at the glaze on those rolls!! Doesn't it make you smell the cinnamon right out of the computer screen??

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

-4.5 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

-1 cup milk

-1/3 cup butter

-1 cup sugar

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-3 eggs

-Filling (see below)

-Vanilla Glaze (see below)

1. In a large bowl, combine 2.5 cups flour and the yeast.
2. On the stove heat (to moderately warm ONLY) the milk, butter, vanilla, and sugar.
3. Pour the warm mixture into the flour and yeast with eggs. Add the mix slowly, you don’t want to scramble the eggs!
4. With an electric mixer, mix everything together (start on low speed then build your way up). Gradually incorporate more flour until you can no longer mix.
5. Knead the dough until the flour has been incorporated fully.
6. Cover with saran wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place until it has doubled in size (about 1-2 hours).
7. Punch down the dough, and divide it in half.
8. Take on half, and roll it out on a greased cookie sheet. Try to make the dough as even and thin as possible.
9. Sprinkle ½ recipe of the filling over the surface of the dough; be sure to cover as much surface area as you can to ensure even coating.
10. Roll the dough like a jellyroll, then divide it into 12 equal pieces. Lay each piece out face-up on the cookie sheet.
11. Repeat the same for the other half of the dough. Alternatively, you can freeze the dough as well for later use.
12. Cover with saran wrap and rest for 30 minutes in a warm place. You can also refrigerate the dough at this point for 2-24 hours. Just be sure to let it warm up for about 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking.
13. Lay the rolls out so they are almost (but not quite) touching each other. Brush the tops with half-and-half, then bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.
14. Wait about 10 minutes, then drizzle with vanilla glaze.

Filling

Ingredients

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/3 cup butter

-3/4 cup brown sugar

-1/2 cup flour

1. Combine everything to a crumbly consistency.
2. You can also add cocoa powder or pecans, if you want.

Vanilla Glaze

-1 1/3 cups confectioner’s sugar

-1/2 cup corn syrup

-1/2 cup half-and-half

-1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix everything together, adding more of any ingredient if necessary.